


My Fish Shouyou

by Little_Suzume



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cute, Fluff, M/M, language barriers, mermaid!au, mermaid!hinata
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-05 10:32:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4176543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Suzume/pseuds/Little_Suzume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One cold night, Kageyama comes across a creature he never expected to see, trapped and washed ashore. Not knowing what to do, Kageyama decides to bring the creature back home.<br/>Who knew saving a mermaid would be this difficult?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

Shrill shrieks filled the night air. Kageyama had nearly jumped out of his skin as the inhuman cries had begun. Eyes widening, he looked around wildly, trying to find the source. The bag of tuatuas dropping back into the dark water in his fright. He looked towards the dock, dinghies and other small boats lined up, bobbing up and down in the water. In the dim lamp light, Kageyama couldn’t see anyone nearby.

His skin crawled with fear as the wails dyed down. As he moved out of the shallow water, his flash light dancing towards the rundown wharfs the shrieks began again. Sounding more urgent and desperate this time. But as Kageyama listened harder, getting closer, there was distinct pattern of noise rather than incoherent screams. Who or whatever it was, was speaking in another language.

It didn’t sound like any language Kageyama had heard of. And in this small area, not a lot of tourists but enough to get a variety, Kageyama had heard many foreigners speak in their rough, smooth or hard sounding languages that were either very quick or slow.

There was nothing familiar about this. It sounded alien. Clicks of the tongue and the back of the throat, it sounded more animal than human.

Ignoring the logical part of his brain, Kageyama made his way up. As he stood on the creaking wood, the shrieks stopped all of a sudden. Gulping, Kageyama stopped as well. Every muscle in his body freezing as he stared straight ahead in the dark. Although his eyes were accustomed, spending already half an hour out here hunting for cockles, pipis and tuatuas, he couldn’t see anything responsible.

Forcing himself, he managed to move the muscles in his arms to turn on the angle. The bright light of his torch falling across boats, sand and water. Stopping at a strange figure tangled in nets, getting rolled up on higher ground by rough waves.

Kageyama took a step back as he realised what he was staring at. Tangled in net and staring up at him in large brown eyes was some sort of fish boy. For he had a young face, wet dark hair and bright eyes. But from the belly button down, cycloid shaped scales, a shiny orange that reflected the light ended in four fin tails. From the angled he lay, half on his belly, one arm coiled in rope, he could also see a large dorsal spines, lifting up but mostly forced against his back.

A mermaid.

Well merboy or merperson. Whatever it was.

The wonder and awe on Kageyama’s face swiftly dispersed as a new, more logical sounding thought than merboy made its appearance. This could be all some trick, a stupid prank. Someone’s probably filming him now, shitting themselves with laughter as they’ve tricked another ‘victim’.

Irritably at the idea, especially as it meant losing his bag of tasty food, Kageyama glared angrily at the imposter who’s incredible costume had fooled him. “What are you doing?” He demanded, feeling rather stupid.

Instead of getting a normal response, this only caused the boy to try to fold into himself, pupils dilated with narrowed eyes as his lips pulled over his rather pointed teeth as he hissed. Despite being half wrapped in rope, his dorsal fin rattled, something Kageyama found quite threatening as his four tailed fins swished angrily in the ankle deep water.

If this was some sort of prank, they were really taking it far. Hesitant, Kageyama dropped down from the pier to the sand below. This earned another hiss and some thumping sounds from the back of his throat as he clenched his mouth tight.

Kageyama held up one hand out, crouching himself down. Closer now he could see that the person was bleeding, some scales missing and scraps across his torso and arms. He seemed to be breathing heavily as well, laboured breaths that seemed quite the effort. Almost as if there was crushing force against his chest. A dark liquid trickled lightly from his wounds and swirled into the foam below.

Now Kageyama had seen fake blood enough to know what it looks like. Ennoshita and Akaashi often asked him to help out, either being extras in their short films or working in the crafts area. He’s pretty sure fake blood doesn’t look like that.

“Look, I don’t know who you are but going this far for a prank is pretty stupid.” Kageyama scowled.

The boy simply frowned at him, two of his tail fins twitching as he lifted his tail up and splashed in the water. His dorsal had lowered and seemed to be more concentrated on keeping himself up straight, as if to make himself bigger than he really was. Kageyama wasn’t sure if his words had gotten to him, maybe he didn’t understand him?

Huffing, Kageyama moved closer. But as he did, the boy reacted violently, snarling while using his tail to hit the ground, spraying water everywhere. Kageyama yelped in fright, dropping his torch and falling backwards. He hissed as the grainy sand rubbed against his skin before sitting up and glaring at the boy. Staring at the person warily, Kageyama rubbed his elbow as he began to question whether this was all a prank or the real deal.

“Look, I’m not going to hurt you.”  Kageyama stated, saying each word slowly and hoping that by some miracle that it would get through to the creature. And perhaps luck was at his side, because the merboy although still wary and watchful, seemed to relax, just a little. Not enough to make Kageyama comfortable, but enough to wonder if he finally had communicated to the strange creature.

Placing a torch in a position where he would gain enough light to see without having to hold it, Kageyama inched closer. Pausing as the merboy tensed. The boy clicked his tongue, wriggling slightly in his restraints, but otherwise made no other reaction. Starting to get uncomfortable in his crouching position, Kageyama shifted, moving forward and reaching one hand out towards the boy. The merboy lifted his tail slightly, his fingers digging into the sand as he stiffened, releasing a low hiss.

Kageyama began to making hushing noises that he hoped were comforting. It was what Suga did to the children who were crying big fat tears and that seemed to calm them almost immediately. Of course he had no idea if this person was even a child and how did he know if he was making threatening or soothing noises?

He flinched slightly as cold sea water began to circle around his knees. His hand gently touched cold skin that shuddered under his touch. A high pitched whistle was all the creature said as Kageyama continued to repeat what he hoped were soothing words. Stroking him gently, he observed the creature once over. The net it seemed must have prevented him to move and the strong current must have washed him ashore. It seemed as if he had been dragged over rocks, most likely the ones not too far from here covered in oyster shells and barnacles. He winced at the thought.

“Everything is going to be alright. I’ll get you out of this.” Kageyama muttered, scowling as he tugged at the net. “You really got tangled up, eh?” He looked towards the creatures face. Kageyama was startled to find the boy to be watching him silently. In the way that was watchful and calculating. It gave him the impression of intelligence.  Kageyama hoped he wasn’t calculating how yummy Kageyama looked. “I’m all bone.” He quickly said, feeling his cheeks redden in his embarrassment. “I’m going to have to roll you over, okay? So don’t…don’t hit or bite me.” He muttered as he quickly nudged him.

The creature simply squeaked, tensing as he waved his tail as Kageyama rolled him over and tugged at the net. Water went everywhere and Kageyama cursed loudly as he felt it soak into his shirt. “Would you stop moving? I’m trying to help you!” He hissed, but the squeaks became quicker and high pitched to Kageyama’s irritation. “Ugh, it’s no use. I’m going to have to cut you out. But I don’t have a knife on me.” He muttered; letting go and watching the body roll with the waves and ignoring the glare that was sent his way.

Kageyama scowled at him, causing the creature to flinch, dorsal fin rising with a rattle but Kageyama took little interest. His attention focused on what to do next. “I’m going to pick you up.”

Not waiting for an answer that’ll never come, Kageyama pushed him slightly deeper into water. Instead of sinking, he began to float, giving Kageyama enough room to snake his hands underneath the boy and lift him up, avoiding the dorsal fin.

The merboy began to squeak fast and shrill, rising in pitches that made Kageyama’s ears ring. The boy wasted little time in thrashing, a lot heavier than originally thought and his body wet and slippery. His scales were a problem too. Smooth going down one way, with the body moving erratically in his arms, causing the scales to slide across skin and sometimes cutting. He almost dropped him as he felt the stinging pain, but manage to adjust his hold. He hissed angrily though, venting out his pain and frustration.

At the hiss, the boy stopped at once, halting in what seemed like fright. Kageyama was only a little guilty, but the trickle of warm blood and a whole lot of stinging made it a lot better.

“I’m going to take you to my place. So you need to stop thrashing and you need to be quiet.” It wasn’t very smart, but he didn’t like the thought of leaving the boy out here alone.

What if someone else got him or some random dog came and decided he looked like a tasty meal? Besides there was no knowing of what could happen. Besides he doubted the creature would dehydrate and it seemed perfectly capable of breathing oxygen like a human.

He looked towards his torch, crouching down slightly and with one hand grabbing it and resting it on top of the mermaid. He didn’t want to leave that behind, it was the only torch he had. Blindly, he made his way back up onto the wharf and made his way back to his apartment. It wasn’t far and Kageyama was grateful that he didn’t bump into anyone. The only people he saw were too far away or too drunk to take notice of him and the special cargo he carried.

As he entered his home, he used his elbow to turn on the light. The merboy hissed, the only noise he made so far but otherwise did nothing. Manouvering around his apartment, he rushed towards the bathroom, thankful that this one had a bathtub and quickly placed him inside. But as he did so and moved away, it was then that he noticed something peculiar.

The tail looked as if it was dissolving. Kageyama yelled in fright and jumped back, heart thumping as he wildly began to think he had killed the boy. But the creature began to squeak rapidly, what’s left of the tail moving and it was then Kageyama observed the peculiar shape the tail began to form as it shed its scales. It looked like the creature was beginning to form legs.

Human legs.

The rate began to move quicker too and all Kageyama could do was stand back and watch until a naked boy was left in the bath.

Kageyama blinked, feeling quite dizzy as he tried to discern what had happened. The creature tried to lift itself up, lifting one leg as it preened at it before lowering it back down and throwing a strange look towards Kageyama.

“What are you?” Kageyama breathed.

The merboy or just boy wriggled his body. His very naked body. Kageyama flushed at this, trying to focus on the squeaky chatter the boy had broken into. Clearing his throat and trying to calm his beat heart Kageyama took in a deep breath.

“R-right, I’m going to get my scissors now.”

Leaving the room quickly, he rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the first pair of scissors he came across. Coming back to the bathroom, he got onto his knees and quickly began cutting at away at the net, until he could pull parts of it off the boy. Chucking it all to the side, Kageyama sat back as he tried to process everything that happened. He watched as the boy sat up, looking around himself before straight back at Kageyama and clicking his tongue. He then began to stand up on wobbly legs, using the rail as a support to push himself onto two feet. He barely stood a second before he came tumbling back down and Kageyama threw himself forward, stomach hitting the side and leaving him winded as he caught the boy. The boy squeaked, wrapping his arms around Kageyama who pushed himself up.

“I’m going to have to get you some clothes.” Kageyama muttered, doing his best to ignore the skin beneath his hands and pressed against his body. He wasn’t going to survive this.


	2. Chapter 2

Kageyama woke to something heavy pushing against him. Opening one eye, he glared at his attacker and was greeted with a catlike _‘prrrup’_ and bright almond eyes with wild orange hair. He groaned loudly, lifting one hand to cover his face as he decided it was too early for this.

But wait…

Kageyama quickly shot up as he snapped his eyes open. His sudden movement startled the boy, who squealed and rolled backwards off the bed and onto the floor in a heap. Breathing quite rapidly, Kageyama looked over the side of the bed to see the short boy wearing his spare shirt and some shorts.

That’s right, he took this boy from the sea who was originally a merboy but as the water must have dried enough for his tail to transform into legs and lose most of his scales. Yeah, Kageyama wasn;t insane.

With narrowed eyes, Kageyama could see that nearly all his scales were gone now, only a few scattered across his feet, legs and arms. He wondered briefly if he had imagined it all, but as the boy began to chatter in those dolphin like squeals, he allowed himself to enjoy the relief that he wasn’t crazy.

“What am I going to do?” Kageyama groaned, throwing himself back onto the bed as the boy struggled to get to his feet. “The first moment I get, I’m going to release you back into the sea.” This was responded by quick clucks of the tongue and chirping.

Kageyama hummed, closing his eyes and wishing to just doze off when a small body barrelled into him. Winded, Kageyama grunted as small hands began to push on his stomach forcefully.

“What is it?” He hissed, and the merboy squeaked in surprise and stopped but he didn’t move away.

Looking at him, he opened his mouth, his throat moving up and down as he made thumping noise with his thoat. It left Kageyama momentarily confused and slightly weirded out until it reminded him of those fat baby birds, demanding more food from their parents.

“Are you hungry? You want some food? What do I feed you? Okay, okay I’m getting up.” Kageyama grumbled, rubbing his eyes as the boy started pushing again, momentarily stopping his noise before continuing. Maybe he should have just left him out there.

Entering the kitchen, he opened the fridge, trying to use his brain to figure out what they would eat. Fish, probably. With a sigh, he leaned in and grabbed one of his containers of mussels. He was going to save them for a later but…Glancing towards the boy who emerged from the hallway, his legs looking like jelly as he wobbled, he hummed in agreement to himself. This boy probably never had cereal or toast, and he didn’t know how his body would react to that. Eating mussels should be fine, right?

“Sit.” He ordered, gesturing to one of the chairs as he placed the jar on the table. The boy tilted his head curiously and Kageyama resisted the urge to sigh. Cursing the inability to communicate with each other.

He began to wildly gesture with hands, even to the point of going to sit in the chair himself. When that didn’t help, he got up and moved behind the boy, pushing him slightly who shrieked in protest at first but allowed himself to be arranged, until he was sitting down. The boy didn’t do anything at first, just looked around the room with wide eyes. He sniffed the air lightly, his nose twitching once and then wildly as he quickly looked down, surprising Kageyama with his sense of smell. His hands quickly shot up to grab the jar, tilting it around and tightening his hold around it. He even pushed the plastic container to his mouth, pointy teeth biting at the plastic in an attempt to get at the food.

Well at least he had gotten something right there. He would have to go out to the market today and buy a whole lot of food. Seafood in particular. It was going to be expensive but, hopefully it would be only for one day. His wounds didn’t seem so bad, as long as everything went smoothly; he would be saying goodbye to this boy tonight.

Kageyama continued to watch in slight amusement at the boy’s attempts to open the jar a little longer. Only stopping to help when the boy started banging the container against the table top. He didn’t want to clean that mess up.

Grabbing a bowl, he put it in front of the boy. “Give me that.” Kageyama muttered, reaching forward to grab the jar. Instead, the boy jerked back and hissed, clutching the container closer to his chest protectively.

Kageyama hadn’t jumped, but that had given him a fright. Right, despite his initial appearance, he was dealing with an animal. Ennoshita often told him that the common mistake people do when dealing with dogs is taking food off them while eating. A big no no, and Kageyama could only assume that this was the same case.

“I’ll open it for you. I don’t particularly want marinated mussels for breakfast.” The very thought made his stomach churn. Hand open, he gestured with his fingers. “Give it to me.” He growled, a part of him wondering if he was just going to have to wait and clean the mess up later until the boy slowly reached out and dropped the container in his palms with low peeps.

Sighing happily, Kageyama quickly took off the lid, feeling the boys piercing gaze and tipping the mussels into the bowl. The boy wasted no time, diving his hands forwards and quickly putting the mussels into his mouth. After a second, he abandoned his hands, picking up the bowl and chugging its contents down. He slurped happily, a pink tongue darting out to lick his lips as he released a satisfied coo.

Kageyama’s own lips trembled and lifted one hand to cover his mouth in shock. He couldn’t believe it but he was actually trying to smile. Seeing a happy grin fall across the boy’s face had made him want to smile. While he marvelled over that little fact, he didn’t fail to notice something odd. The boy’s shorts began to dampen and something pooled on the seat that left Kageyama with a feeling that he could only describe as horror.

He had just peed his pants.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Kageyama grabbing the boy and lifting him up. The boy squirmed and shrieked as he rushed to the toilet. Most likely leaving a trail behind. Kicking the door open, he plopped the boy on top, tugging at his pants to come off, even though it was pointless. Rubbing the sides of his temples, ignoring the large and guilty looking eyes sent his way, Kageyama sighed through gritted teeth.

He was leaving tonight.

* * *

 

Exhausted, and it wasn’t even ten o’clock, Kageyama threw himself on the couch. He had changed the boy’s clothes, placed him a chair and turned on the TV while he cleaned up the mess. Kageyama wandered briefly how long it would take him to train the boy to go to the toilet. Not that it mattered. He would be leaving by tonight.

Happy with this thought, he rolled his head to the side to stare at the boy who was seated on the far end of the couch. His gaze was directed straight at the TV, marvelling over the moving pictures, his mouth moving up and down as he copied faces made as they appeared. Every now and then, he would shoot a guilty looking gaze towards him before quickly turning back to the TV when his bright almond eyes caught with piercing blue.

He looked relaxed, knees curled tightly to his chest and leaning back into the cushion. He looked very pale too. Far more pale then this morning. In fact, he looked sick.

Sitting up straight, Kageyama felt even more worried when the boy showed no reaction. Moving forward, he reached out and touched the boy’s forehead. It didn’t feel like a fever but he had no idea what symptoms would a sick merboy have. Oh god, was it the food? Was it stress? He had no freaking clue.

“Don’t die on me. You can’t just pee on my floor and die on me like that.” Kageyama growled, shaking his shoulders lightly and earning a soft whine. “Okay, okay think Tobio think. He’s part fish…” He pinched the boy’s skin lightly, pulling at the skin and noticing how tough it was. Letting go, he sighed as the skin stayed in place.

He was dehydrated, that was the problem. He needed water.

Picking the boy up, he rushed towards the bathroom, gently placing the boy in the tub. He hesitated for a moment before tugging at his clothes and taking them off. “Oh god, I don’t know if you need salt water or fresh water…oh man, don’t you die on me.” Kageyama growled again, turning on the tap as he plugged in the bath. “You can’t die like this. Oh god, I hope I don’t kill you.”

Praying to whatever god or deity there was, Kageyama watched as the bath began to fill, the water rising over smooth skin. He watched in fascination as the transformation began, a lot faster than the reverse. The boys breathing began to settle down, soft whines and squeaks were a relief to Kageyama’s ears and the boy opened his eyes. He looked down at his tail, that was really too big for his bath, chirping happily as he lifted it and flopped it back down. He squealed in peals of laughter as water got everywhere.

Well it seemed like he was compatible with both fresh and salt water. And he didn’t seem to be reacting too badly to whatever was added into his bath water to cleanse it. Perhaps mermaids were highly adaptable?

With a soft tsk, Kageyama couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s enjoyment. When the boy caught his gaze, he chattered quickly clicks much like a dolphin, tilting his head to the side to smile.

“Kageyama.” Kageyama said, surprising himself. The boy blinked thoughtfully. Gesturing his hands to himself, Kageyama cleared his throat and said it again. “Kageyama. My name is Kageyama.”

“ _Kack_ yams.”

Having trouble suppressing his amused grin, Kageyama shook his head watching as the boy copied him. “Ka-ge-ya-ma.” He repeated, this time slower and drawing out the syllables.

“Kaaceeyarma.”

“Kageyama.” Kageyama began to pull funny faces, feeling ridiculous but slightly enjoying it.

“Kaageeyama.” The boy slowly said, coping his drawn out mouth movements. “Kageeyama, Kageyama!” He squeaked loudly.

“Yes, I’m Kageyama.” He grinned happily, before gesturing to the merboy. “What’s your name?”

Blinking, the boy looked confused before grinning brightly. His tail fins flicking, he seemed to straighten up, his face getting slightly serious as he concentrated. Much like when watching television or learning to pronounce Kageyama’s name.

The first thing the boy said, sounded like a whole lot of tongue.

“Show ew?” Kageyama repeated nervously, feeling his cheeks begin to warm.

The boy repeated it and Kageyama watched the way he formed his mouth, the angle of his tongue as it went up to form unfamiliar vowels.

“Show you?” Another repeat at the coon. “Ah Shouyou?” And the answer he received as a high pitch squeal, water splashing everywhere and chatter of yelps. “Huh Shouyou, it sort of suits you?”  Sighing, he pushed himself up. “Well, I’ll leave you there to soak. I’m not sure how long you need, but that’ll give me time to go to the market to get some fish and see what’s on special. I might have to fishing. But I wonder if you only eat meat or if you eat stuff like seaweed?”

Humming, he shook his head glancing down at Shouyou who tilted his head curiously, bright eyes blinking and releasing a questioning prowp. Pursed lips, Kageyama frowned, gesturing his hands in what he hoped the boy would understand as stay.

“I’m going to go out for a bit. So stay here and be a good boy. I’m going to get some food.” Shouyou prowped again and Kageyama sighed softly. “Okay, goodbye.” With a wave, he left and closed the door

He didn’t want to leave him alone but it wasn’t like he could call up anyone and say hey, can you come over and watched my overgrown goldfish? And taking him out in public spelled disaster. He doubted Shouyou had the strength to stand or walk that long anyway and he didn’t want to overwhelm the boy in this very alien world that he was going to leave.                  

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. His shopping spree had been fast, randomly grabbing things that were on a good price and making sure the food was fresh. Kageyama wasn’t sure how much food Shouyou would need and wasn’t too sure on the variety either. So he brought local fish caught this morning, crabs, packets of seaweed and more mussels and scallops. Even brought two packets of sushi from Kuroo’s shop, eating one there because he realised he hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet, and the other to test out on the boy. Curious to see how adaptable he was.

Once home, he found the naked boy had managed to get out of the bathroom on his own. Drenching the floor with water and drying out on the couch as he watched TV that he managed to work on. Most likely memorised from the time Kageyama had turned it on this morning.

“Kageyama, Kageyama!” Was the squeaky greeting received as he quickly put his groceries away and went on a hunt to see if there were any extra unnecessary puddles.

Once everything was cleaned and put away, Kageyama settled himself on the couch. Not paying any attention to the TV but Shouyou instead. Shouyou was captivated and Kageyama was fascinated to watch Shouyou beginning to repeat the things that were said on TV. Mimicking mostly the ending word of a sentence.  Which Kageyama thought was impressive and wondered briefly if this is what parents felt like when their toddlers were beginning to form coherent words.

And toileting wasn’t a real issue, Kageyama found. As hours went by, Shouyou tugged at Kageyama’s sleeve, whistling squeaks and singing his name as he squeezed his legs together. A universal sign that didn’t need no translating.

Kageyama was pleased that this wasn’t the problem. Nope, the real problem was Shouyou not knowing what to do or cleaning up his mess. This was embarrassing, horribly embarrassing. How do parents do it? The only thing that made it better, was the idea of leaving Shouyou alone and dealing with that problem.

He was really grateful he hadn’t taken Shouyou out. He really didn’t want to deal with this publically.

Night had come quickly to Kageyama’s surprise. And as it became later, Kageyama was beginning to feel reluctant. But with a soft sigh and a reminded that the person sitting next to him wasn’t human and needed to be returned to his home, he reluctantly stood up and gestured to the boy.

“Kageyama?”

“Come on, Shouyou. It’s time for you to go home.” Kageyama managed to say. He walked towards the door, opening it slightly before peering out. Seeing no one about, he opened it wide and gestured for Shouyou to follow.

With a prowp and wobbly legs, Shouyou joined his side. Licking his lips, he grabbed onto the sleeve of Kageyama’s jumper, peering into the darkness. He probably had no trouble seeing, Kageyama mused. He would need good eye sight to survive in the ocean. Especially at night. But the ocean didn’t require him to have legs.

Making sure that Shouyou understood or was aware of what was going to happen, Kageyama picked him. He hooked his right arm underneath his knees, his left supporting his back as he adjusted him in his hold. He grunted under his weight, feeling Shouyou’s arms wrap around his neck tightly.

Happy with this, Kageyama started the short walk towards the beach. Heading in the direction of the pier where Kageyama had found Shouyou last night. Last night seemed a long time ago but so short too.

“Kageyama?” Shouyou questioned but Kageyama softly hushed him.

“You’re nearly home now.” Kageyama said softly and Shouyou hummed, legs kicking thoughtfully as he tilted his head. “Here we-” He stopped midsentence, his walk slowing down to a stop. In the dim of the light he could see men out on the docks.

He instantly assumed they were fishing men, wearing dark overalls and hats. There was six of them, three on one wharf and two on the other, one on the ground in the exact same place Kageyama had found Shouyou caught in netting. Nothing suspicious about it, even how late it was. Except, the men looked as if they were looking for something. It’s true that they could have dropped something in the water, possibly wary of going in. But there was just something odd about the way they looked and the fact that Kageyama had found him Shouyou in that exact area.

Not understanding what he felt, Kageyama grunted and turned around. Heading back to his house, Shouyou still in his arms. Shouyou chirped, whining as he looked towards the sea. Kageyama felt guilt claw at his gut and he grimaced unhappily.

“I’m sorry Shouyou, I’ll take you back home but not now.”

Shouyou had one last look of the sea before Kageyama closed the door. Well, there was always tomorrow night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long you would think I would have proofread this chapter, but I'm sorry I haven't. So please ignore any grammar, I might look over it, probably not.  
> I took forever because I kept on re-writing this. At first, it was just going to have Daichi's pod but then I got lazy and was going to leave that part for another chapter but then I got lazy again. And then I decided I was going to do from Shouyou's pov sort of but that got hard so I went with Kageyama and Kenma (シ_ _)シ  
> I wanted to do Shouyou's pov to hopefully get across why Shouyou isn't really worried and trying to escape, so I'll just explain here and maybe later on in the fic. Basically Shouyou lives in eat or be eaten world. He knows his pod were heading elsewhere and he knows they probably think he's dead. And even if Kageyama did release him into the water soon, Shouyou knows his chance of survival is very low and he'll probably end up dying. So he's already worked out he gets to eat a lot with Kageyama, there's no real predators or threats and although he's lonely, Kageyama is safe!  
> I just felt like explaining that, since I'm worrying that I won't be able to in the actual fic and you guys are sitting there like 'why isn't Shouyou trying to escape' cuz he don't want to. And writing from Shouyou's pov is too hard for my uncreative mind (-_-)ゞ゛  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and as for the rest of the fic （￣へ￣）it should finish soon.

With a powerful surge from his tail, Sawamura Daichi swam forward, diving downwards and closer to the sea floor. He looked around before releasing a high pitched whistle, pushing off the ground and up. His triangular shaped fins cut through the water seamlessly. He paused, floating as he waited. Quickly rolling to the side and rushing in the direction where a responding chattering song had called from.

“Nishinoya, Tanaka.” He called out, and from the dark blue smaller shapes speed out from the dark blue. They swirled around him, dorsal fins raised and pectoral fins spread for quicker speeder. “Have you heard from Shouyou?” He asked, as they started to swim to the main pod.

Nishinoya Yuu shook his head, his spiky hair swaying in the water. He was short in length, coloured in brown and white stripes. Most of his fins were mostly spiny, baring two dorsal fins, one spine and the other a soft rayed portion. His tail fin was large and face straight to his body, giving him speed.

“I haven’t heard from him in days.” Tanaka Ryuunosuke added, scowling angrily. He was much bigger than Nishinoya although smaller than Daichi. His colour was silver blue, scales more circular and defined. He carried less fins, but a large dorsal fin from the centre of his shoulders blade and near the end of his tail. He wasn’t as fast as Nishinoya, but he provided raw strength that was useful for defending against predators.

Gritting his teeth, Daichi pushed harder. Shouyou was fast, had great reflexes and could probably outswim everyone in the sea. But he wasn’t very strong and too curious for his own good.

Rising above the two, Daichi’s large dorsal fin breached the surface of the water, slicing through like a knife. Going under for a second, he threw himself out of the water, taking a fresh gulp of air before diving back down. With fresh air, he dived back down and began to sing to his kin.

Tanaka and Nishinoya followed suit, breaching the surface for air that would last them for hours. Cocking his head to the side, Daichi slowed down. He heard three songs, each very different from the other. Tanaka and Nishinoya clicked their tongues excitedly, bony fins rattling or a simple whoosh as the water washed over them. They rushed forward, only slowing down as Daichi pushed in front with a powerful surge from his large tail.

“Calm down you two.” He ordered, flicking them both.

Not a moment longer, they were joined with the rest of their kin. Kiyoko Shimizu with her dark and soothing blues, Azumane Asahi with his creamy white and black spots and Yachi with her electric yellow and blue stripes. Their bodies quickly mingled together, swirling in circles with fins brushing skin as even silent Kiyoko joined in with welcoming coos. When Daichi, as leader, had kindly knocked his forehead against every member, the pod parted and began to move forward.

It was going to be dark and they needed to find a sheltered place, away from predators where they could rest in peace. “Did any of you hear from Shouyou?” Daichi asked.

It was silent for a moment, the water going deadly cold. It was Kiyoko who spoke up. “No, we haven’t heard from him since two nights ago.”

“And he was so excited to earn his second name.” Asahi said grimly. Tanaka flinched at this, floating over to whip Asahi lightly with his tail while Nishinoya did the same on his other side. But not as kindly as Tanaka had done. He released a painful squeak at their treatment, pushing ahead faster to get out of the way of the troublesome duo.

“Don’t go killing him off already! Shouyou’s a strong merkin. He’s smart and lucky.” Tanaka said, sounding proud. “When he got separated from his first pod, he had managed to survive days on his own right?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Nishinoya eagerly agreed, throwing his smaller body onto Tanaka. “Maybe a nearby pod has him?” Nishinoya exclaimed, his body rising closer to the surface as he looked to each of his kin. “He made friends with that huge white fish four moons ago.”

“He makes friends with the strangest creatures.” Kiyoko mused.

This lightened the pods mood. Yachi who had been silent at this moment, perked up, swimming to match her movements with Kiyoko. She began to chat excitedly, her worries soothed over.

“Ah, hear that?” Azumane asked, swimming close to Daichi who paused.

“Is it Shouyou, Asahi?” Nishinoya demanded, using his shoulders to push himself up.

“No it isn’t. It’s Moniwa Kaname’s pod.” Recognising his frantic clicks to mostly keep Kamasaki Yasushi from arguing with the troublesome Kenji and silent presence in the water that could only be the gentle giant Aone Takanobu.

“Uwah! Maybe they have news of Shouyou!” Nishinoya cried.

“I’m all fired up now!” Tanaka shouted as the pair began to call out to the pod.

Daichi sighed heavily. He would stop them but he understood their outburst and would allow it this time. They changed their direction swiftly, heading towards Moniwa who called out to them. In short time the two pods greeted each other, swirling in a small tornado of fins and shrill songs of greeting.

Moniwa was colourful blue and red with a feather tail similar to Shouyou’s and Yachi’s. Smaller in size to his kin, he acted as the respective leader. With a flick from his tail, Daichi moved closer to Moniwa and tapped their foreheads together gently.

“It’s been a while Sawamura.” Moniwa sung, eyes closed and grinning as the pod began to break apart. “I’m surprised you’re still in this area. I thought you were heading towards the hot waters.”

Daichi laughed sheepishly. “Ah, we were. But one of our kin has gone missing. Do you remember Shouyou? He was young, hadn’t earned his second name yet. Orange and fast, became friends with one of your best hunters.”

Moniwa became silent for a moment. He faltered in his movements, falling slowly. “I remember him. He had a distinctive song, didn’t he?”

“What is it?” Daichi asked, dreading the news. A small part of him hoped that the energetic young mer who eagerly rushed into things hadn’t gotten into trouble.

“Well, a few nights ago, we thought we heard someone calling in a bay. Aone said it was Shouyou.” At this the pair glanced to the back where they could see the giant merman  floating behind. He was frowning, lips pursed and his large dorsal fin seemed to be lowered. Moniwa sighed softly. “We located it to a nearby bay filled with those two legged creatures. It’s not as busy as others, but it’s not safe to take shelter. But before we could find out for sure, the song stopped.”

Daichi looked ahead and saw nothing. It had been a while since the water had felt this cold. Moniwa glanced at him, nudged him gently by the shoulder as he gently brushed his soft fin against Daichi’s firm rubbery one.

“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose one of your kin. But it might not have been Shouyou. He wasn’t originally from your pod, right?”

“None of us were born in this pod.” Daichi agreed. “His pod had been attacked by those mad sharp teeth. It had been a hard year during that time...I was going to name him Hinata.”

“What will you do now? We were planning to head to the colder seas for a few moons and head back here. One of our kin is pregnant with her first calf.”

“Congratulations. As for what we will do…” He glanced back to his pod, who was happily talking to each other (or in Nishinoya’s and Tanaka’s case, trying to rark up the other mermen). “We’ll say goodbye to Shouyou before continuing.” Daichi sighed heavily. “May the Stranger guide him to the white waters.”                                                    

* * *

 

It’s Monday, the weekend has finished and Kageyama still hasn’t brought Shouyou back to the sea. He feels guilty because Shouyou must want to go home. He’s certain of that. And his bathtub doesn’t actually give Shouyou any freedom at all. He doesn’t have a pool and even if he did, he wouldn’t allow Shouyou to go near it with a ten foot pole. Tap water is one thing, and Kageyama’s no scientist but he knows a pool is on a whole new level of risky.

He really should take Shouyou back, he said he would. But…things just got in the way and it slipped his mind. Shouyou had captivated him, with his determination to learn Kageyama’s language. It was pretty impressive. Even if Shouyou didn’t quite get what it was and was simply happier to copy whatever he said. There were times when Kageyama would say something and Shouyou would give him a look. A look that he could only translate into _are-you-an-idiot-Kageyama-?_

And he certainly was an idiot, because his weekend has ended. It’s Monday and it’s the start of a late shift at a local restaurant which he works at. That means for hours, Shouyou was going to be by himself. Kageyama couldn’t call anyone to babysit Shouyou and all his morning had been spent making sure the house was Shouyou proof. He wasn’t too worried about food, Shouyou usually scoffed two meals and that it was for hours. Kageyama wasn’t sure if that was because hunting was hard out in the open sea or Shouyou doesn’t use the same energy as he does. So food wasn’t an issue here and yes, he does leave Shouyou alone when doing shopping but not like this. This was different.

He couldn’t call into work sick either. He needed this job and well, Kageyama struggled to keep a job. Maybe it was because people were terrified of him or maybe he was just shit at social interaction. Whatever it was, he didn’t quite cut it. He only got this job because it was Narita’s uncle.

Clearing his throat, Kageyama entered the bathroom. Shouyou cooed happily at him, tail lifting up in greeting and waving it around along with his hands. “Kageyama, Kageyama!” He sang.

“Err hi, enjoying you bath?” Shouyou bobbed his head up and down much like a bird. “Look, I’ve got you some toys.” He declared, biting down on his lips as he caught Shouyou’s attention. The boy clicked his tongue once, tilting his head to the right and began to purr. It was cute. “It’s some floating bath toys.” Showing the boy a happy looking dolphin and a rubber duck with big eyes and squeaked when pressed. “You just throw it in and they float.”

Kageyama threw in the dolphin first and Shouyou squealed. He jumped, worried he had offended him but relaxed as he watched the boy leaning forward with glee and clucking in low and high tunes. After a moment, he paused and frowned. He poked the dolphin with a partly webbed finger, watching it float away. Kageyama couldn’t help but smile at this.

“You talk to dolphins?” He mused as he crouched down.

“Dooolphin talk.” Shouyou sung, swaying from side to side.

“I got you this as well.” He held up the duck for Shouyou to see and pressed it. It squeaked loudly in a wheezy sort of way. Shouyou flinched at the sound, but eagerly took it in his hands and began copying Kageyama’s movements. It took him a couple of tries before he finally pressed the squeaker. Shouyou looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear. He then held up the duck to Kageyama’s face.

“ _Squeeeeeek!_ ” Shouyou mimicked at a much higher pitch than the toy.

Chuckling softly, Kageyama shook his head lightly in amusement as he ignored the ringing in his ears. “Yeah, that’s not exactly music to my ears. That’s called a duck.” Kageyama mentioned, resting his arms across the bathtub edge.

Shouyou blinked his large eyes at him before turning back to the toy in his hands. He squeaked it once more, as if contemplating it. “Duck.” He pronounced. “Duck, flyer!” He exclaimed.

“Ducks do fly.” Kageyama agreed, slightly bemused.

“Flyer.” Shouyou repeated, holding up the yellow duck above his dead before slamming it under the water as if it had been diving. He kept it under the water, gliding it across before arching it up and into the air. “Flyer, duck.” Shouyou turned to face Kageyama, looking quite proud of himself.

Blinking, Kageyama looked quite taken back. He didn’t respond until Shouyou was beginning to look upset. He gave a small smile, still not quite used to using the muscles as he tilted his head thoughtfully. “Yes that’s right.”

“Duck, duck, duck.” Shouyou cooed, allowing the duck to bob around with the dolphin with the little room he had.

“Hey, Shouyou,” Kageyama said softly, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to arrange his thoughts, “I’m going to be gone for a long time, so you need to be on your best behaviour, okay?”

“Kageyama going?” Shouyou questioned, looking at Kageyama with wide large eyes.

“Yes.” Kageyama said stiffly, nodding his head.

“Shouyou come.”

“No.” Kageyama said sharply, almost too sharply as Shouyou flinched. Kageyama regretted almost instantly. He hadn’t meant to sound angry. But Shouyou didn’t know anything about this world, and Kageyama knew how cruel this world could be. He didn’t want to see Shouyou getting hurt. “No,” he added softly this time, “you need to stay here. You can’t leave the apartment, okay?”

Rising his shoulders to his head, Shouyou looked as if he was pouting. “Shouyou stay.”

Sighing, Kageyama shook his head. “I know it’s hard, but I’ll take you back home soon.” He will, tonight or maybe tomorrow night.

“Kageyama home. Shouyou stay with Kageyama.” He said precisely as he started to play with the toys.

“Oi! You can’t just decide that randomly! You need to go back to the sea.” Kageyama growled, blushing as he reached out and grabbed Shouyou’s head in a rough grip.

Shouyou let out a squeal his hands reaching up as he squirmed, his dorsal fin standing straight as it rattled but he made no real effort to throw Kageyama’s hand off. “Shouyou stay with Kageyama! Shouyou stay!” He began to splash his tail, getting water everywhere.

Sighing, Kageyama loosened his grip, ruffling his hair as he allowed himself to smile and ignore the aching feeling in his heart. “I guess…you can stay for a while. I’ll take you back to the sea, I promise.”

Kageyama glanced away, unable to take Shouyou’s bright smile any longer. It is then he noticed the clock and cursed silently. He needs to be leaving now. He can’t be late again and give the people working there another reason to mutter behind his back. Pushing himself up, Shouyou gave a questioning peep.

“It’s time for me to go. You be good, okay?”

“Okay-!” Shouyou sung, waving goodbye.

Kageyama, didn’t bother closing the door behind him as he left. He glowered angrily as he locked the door to his apartment. He was going to get through this day as quickly as possible and everything was going to turn out fine.                                                    

* * *

 

With a soft sigh, Kenma opened the pantry door and lazily looked in. Rubbing his eyes, he grumbled quietly under his breath. He had spent most of the previous night playing his new game, despite Kuroo telling him to go to sleep. And he did go to sleep, eventually. Perhaps the eventually  was close to 4 am when he finally turned his PSP off.

He pulled out the jar of coffee as well as the sugar before placing them on the bench. He scowled at them both. Empty and there were no refill packets either. And he specifically told Kuroo that they needed more.

With another sigh, this time louder and more heavier than the first, Kenma grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door. Opening it, he looked out the front of the small lawn. Turning to his right, he saw his neighbour Kageyama walk out from his house. There was no fence blocking them as there two apartments were attached together. Putting hands in his pocket and bowing his head slightly, Kenma walked closer to Kageyama.

Kageyama was a scary person, generally wearing a scowl and could be very loud. Getting to know him personally didn’t really make him less scary, just more approachable than before.  And he wasn’t that bad. Like Kenma, Kageyama just found it difficult to talk to people. The only difference was, Kageyama didn’t worry about people’s opinions of him like Kenma did. He just didn’t know how to socialise in short.

“Kageyama, can I borrow some coffee and sugar?” Kenma asked.

Kageyama stopped, wearing his usual terrifying scowl that looked less angry and more worried now. He seemed to be in deep thought though, as he simple said a yeah, nodding his head and waving at him as he continued to his recent part time job.

Normally Kenma would be discouraged. If it was someone else, he might second question going into another stranger’s apartment when they already locked the door and seemed to be too preoccupied to take any real notice of Kenma. But this wasn’t the first time Kuroo has forgotten to get coffee and sugar. And it wasn’t the first time Kenma has invited himself into Kageyama’s apartment.

Kageyama was a very tidy man, organised and liked control. He was also pretty lonely, being socially awkward, managing to scare or piss off any potential friends. To replace this, he brought a lot of plants. But just because he tried to fill the empty places, doesn’t mean Kageyama wasn’t forgetful. So it wasn’t uncommon for Kenma to water his plants and make sure that they’re not dying from thirst.

With a resigned sigh, Kenma lifted the pot and took the spare key underneath it. Unlocking the door, Kenma looked around the small apartment which was almost a replica of his. The only difference was the arrangement of furniture. Except something was different. It was a lot less tidy, looked more as if there was someone else living in the apartment. This couldn’t be true because there are very few people who would ever happily live with Kageyama. And if it was Kageyama’s family that had come down to visit, well they were a lot more loud and excitable than the socially inept youngest son.

With a slight tsk, Kenma came to a nearby pot plant. It had been put up high, higher than he could reach. And if he looked closely, it looked as if someone had mutilated the poor plant. He would have to have another talk with Kageyama on dealing with his rage more often.

Well, not that it mattered now. There were far more important things to worry about than how Kageyama dealt with his stress. Even if he did take it out on another living organism. There was still the matter of the lack of caffeine in his normal morning routine. And if he was going to have to deal with customers again today, he was going to need a lot of it.

Quickly scavenging Kageyama’s pantry, he turned on the kettle and prepared his cup.  It was then he heard a low whistle and short high pitched clicks of the tongue that reminded him a dolphin that gave Kenma a little fright. Startled, he looked to the hall where he could see the bathroom door open.

“Kageyama?” The voice called out.

Kenma was struck silent. Not knowing what to say. He _should_ answer the voice, explain everything. He didn’t want the stranger thinking he was some burglar who went around stealing cups of coffee. But the idea that someone who wasn’t Kageyama was in Kageyama’s apartment, in his bathroom kept him from speaking. All strange situations formed in his head, each one worse than the other.

“Kageyama, Kageyama home?” The voice cried out again and as the kettle went silent, signalling it was finished, Kenma could hear the movement of water. “Kageyama!” The voice whined, sounding quite childish and not right. Reminded Kenma of a toddler learning their first words. “Kageyama stuck!” The voice whined, sounding urgent and slightly worried. It was followed by a high pitched whine and thumping noises. Reminded him of the time Kuroo invited Bokuto over and decided that they would make dying whale noises.

Hesitantly and cursing his feet, Kenma made his way to the bathroom. Clearing his throat, he hoped he was doing the right thing. “Kageyama isn’t here.” Kenma said, staying outside and not peering in. The person definitely sounded male, and even if that was the case, this was the bathroom. There was a good chance that they were naked. Kenma didn’t care who it was, he wasn’t comfortable seeing anyone in their birthday suits.

There was silence for a moment. Then a couple of nervous ticks that reminded him of a horror game he recently played. “My name is Kenma.” Kenma offered, wondering if he should just take his coffee and leave. Was it weird of him to stand outside the door? Yeah, it had to be weird.

“Kenma.” The person repeated, seeming to test his name. “Kenma friends with Kageyama?”

“We’re neighbours.”

“Neighbours?” He questioned. “Neighbours friends?”

Kenma scratched his heard as he frowned. Perhaps Japanese wasn’t his first language, it certainly sounded broken. And his accent wasn’t quite right, though Kenma couldn’t say what his accent sounded like. But how did Kageyama know them?

“Yes, friends.” Kenma decided to say, deciding it would just be confusing if the person didn’t understand Japanese completely.

The boy laughed at this, it was bright and cheerful. The type of laughter that made you want to join in and smile. “My name is Shouyou.”

“That’s a nice name.” Kenma mused.

“Kenma friends with Kageyama. Kenma is Shouyou’s friend.” Shouyou seemed quite proud of this. “Kageyama says I stay. No talking to…others.” Shouyou managed to say, struggling to find the words. “But Kenma’s Kageyama’s friend. Kenma talk to Shouyou.”

“You can’t talk to anyone?” Kenma frowned in concern, turning his head in Shouyou’s direction. He could hear more splashing of water and a squeak from a toy.

“Kageyama say no. Can’t leave, must stay.” Shouyou went silent after that and Kenma felt no need to answer. He couldn’t find any words to form a coherent sentence. His mind trying to figure out any possible reason as to why Kageyama was keeping a person in his house. Were they a criminal? Did Kageyama kidnap someone? “Kageyama leaves, it’s lonely. No one to talk. Kenma is here. Kenma can talk.” The boy began to quickly chatter, breaking Kenma from his chain of thought.

Kenma’s gaze softened at this. He wasn’t much of a talker but he was curious. Feeling his cheeks heat up, Kenma shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Can I come in?” He asked, not sure if he wanted to say no or for them to say yes. He was mostly wanting the former.

“Kenma come in!” Shouyou sang, trailed by the same high pitched clicking noises.

Granted permission, Kenma warily stepped into the bathroom. His golden eyes caught the gaze of almond coloured eyes and a bright smile. Shouyou had striking orange hair that was in need of a good brush and his smile rivalled the sun. He was a boy except, and this was the second thing he noticed straight after the first thing (his smile), his waist took the form of a fish with a four feather fin tail. Shouyou lifted his tail with high peeps of excitement as he waved to Kenma. But Shouyou’s smile faltered slightly as he observed Kenma’s slackened face, which seemed to have lost some colour.

“Kenma?” Shouyou tilted his head curiously.

“Are you real?” Kenma breathed, too caught up in the sight of Shouyou to notice himself step forward until he was crouching down beside Shouyou.

“Real?” Shouyou questioned, sounding confused.

“This isn’t a costume? Is it fake?” Was this a joke? Kenma hoped not, because it was embarrassing on his side.

“Nooo.” Shouyou sang, shaking his head and looking oddly serious that Kenma would have laughed out loud if he wasn’t in shock.

Kenma lifted his hands, biting down on his bottom lip. “C-can I touch you?” He asked.

“Yes!” Shouyou said brightly.

Hesitantly Kenma pressed against the Shouyou’s skin that began to mould into scales. With narrowed eyes, Kenma watched in astonishment as nothing seemed to give away. He could tell for a fact that this was no costume. Even the skin that wasn’t covered in scales felt thick and leathery.

“You’re really a mermaid?” Kenma breathed, eyes wide as he looked up at Shouyou.

“Merman.” Shouyou corrected. “Kageyama help me, teach words.” He grinned, splashing his tail happily. He lifted the yellow rubber duck that was floating in the little space along with a dolphin and held it up in front of Kenma’s face. “Duck.” He said happily as he squeezed its body.

Kenma blinked. No wonder Kageyama didn’t want Shouyou outside. He hadn’t been keeping a criminal or kidnapped some stranger off the street. Kageyama was keeping a real living and breathing mermaid in his apartment.

Kenma couldn’t say which was worse.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, haven't proof read and everything's slightly rushed mwhahaha  
> But I hope you enjoy it anyway, I apologise for the lateness work and my life in general have been a pain and when life gives me lemons I complain about the lemons.  
> Enjoy~!

“Why can’t you leave? You’re a real pain to everyone.” Masa growled, glaring down at Kageyama who was still lying on the floor. The dish the other cook had just made spilled all over Kageyama and on the floor.

It had been the rush of orders, the too hot kitchen and the distractions that had caused the collision. Kageyama opened his mouth to apologies, because he should have been paying attention. He really had just turned to go to the other station when his whole body had slammed into Masa.

Kageyama’s apology was cut off before it could even leave his mouth. Masa simply swiped his hand between them, as if cutting some imaginary string between them. “Don’t apologies, you don’t belong here.” With that, Masa lifted his head and walked away, most likely to remake the meal that had been spilled.

With a sigh, Kageyama picked up the plate and dusted the rest of the food off him. His uniform was stained with sauce and meat juice, but Kageyama was just grateful it wasn’t soup. He placed the dish near the sink and looked around the kitchen. People had returned to their own stations, continuing on with what they had.

Well, Masa wasn’t wrong, even if Kageyama wanted to deny it. He really didn’t belong in this place. Work wasn’t bad, Kageyama enjoyed cooking. Maybe he preferred cooking at a slower rate. And well, he never got along with anyone. And it’s hard getting to know people, trying to not piss them off on the get go.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kageyama looked across the kitchen catching the older Narita’s gaze. The old man gestured for Kageyama to follow him. With a resigned sigh, Kageyama followed him, going through the backdoor and into the cold afternoon. It was late, the stars becoming barely visible and the air was fresh. A lot cooler than inside.

“Well, you’re not a bad guy, Kageyama.” Narita said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “And you’re not too bad at cooking.” He grinned and Kageyama gave a small smile of his own before sighing sadly.

“But that’s not enough?”

“It is enough, don’t think like that. But well, for things to run smoothly in my kitchen, my staff have to work together. And unfortunately, Masa and those twits inside aren’t being nice.” He patted Kageyama’s back heavily. “I don’t like doing this but I’m sorry. Look, I’ll give you two weeks off with full pay. Plenty of time for you to find a job.”

Kageyama nodded stiffly, staring at the ground at his feet. He was starting to feel a bit hopeless at this moment.

Pursing his lips, Narita softened. Stuffing a hand in his pocket, he frowned slightly as he searched for it. Finding it, he cleared his throat before nudging Kageyama gently. Rubbing his bottom lip, he offered the paper to Narita.

“You can always start looking here, you might like it. Customer service but it’s pretty close to your place. It’s that Aquarium place that was opened with the help of Oikawa I think. You know Oikawa, right?”

Taking it, Kageyama resisted the urge to grimace at the mention of Oikawa. But work was work and he wouldn’t have thought of this (because of Oikawa) if the old man hadn’t told him. “Thanks Narita.” Trying to give him a smile but sensing that it probably wasn’t going as well as he thought.

“You’re a good kid, Kageyama, hope everything works out for you.” With a final pat on the shoulder, Narita left Kageyama who stood there for a moment. But with a shake of his head, he went back inside to collect his things.

He would worry about those things later; right now he should be getting home to Shouyou.

* * *

 

Closing the door behind him, Kageyama brightened up when he heard a familiar squeak, feet hitting the floor and orange locks bouncing up and down as Shouyou barrelled into him. Kageyama couldn’t help but laugh a little as he wrapped his arms around Shouyou in a hug as his back hit the door under the force. For a little guy, Shouyou was pretty strong.

Craning his neck upwards, Shouyou smiled brightly, reaching up to wrap his arms around his neck. “Kageyama!” He purred happily.

“Yeah I’m back.” He chuckled, unable to resist a smile, gently putting Shouyou’s feet back on the ground. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes! Shouyou made new friend.” Shouyou’s smile seemed to brighten at this and he seemed very proud of himself. Kageyama wasn’t certain what he felt, slight wary at the prospect of a new ‘friend’.

“Really? Who?”

“Come!” Shouyou eagerly grabbed one of Kageyama’s larger hands and pulled him forward into the living room. “Kenma!” Shouyou exclaimed, pointing to Kageyama’s neighbour who really needed to re-dye his hair. Kageyama felt sick as his stomach felt hollow as he took in the shorter, although taller than Shouyou, sitting awkwardly on the couch and seemed to be avoiding his gaze although he shyly waved at Kageyama.

Kageyama was certain that his horror was showing on his face.

With a questioning call, Shouyou tilted his head as he studied Kageyama’s face. “Kageyama?” He asked, tugging at his hand to capture his attention.

Blinking, Kageyama tried to compose his face quickly as he looked to Shouyou. “Ah…I see you’ve met Kenma.” There was a moment of silence and he cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting on his feet. “Was it fun?”

Shouyou’s smile returned as he nodded his head eagerly. “Yes, Kenma play with me.” He directed to Kageyama to sit down before wedging himself in between Kenma and Kageyama and pointed at the TV screen. It was then Kageyama noticed the gaming device that he had never seen before set up.

A very childish looking game began to play and Kageyama noted that Shouyou had cleverly learned all the little tricks. Tongue sticking out, Shouyou stared straight ahead with frightening concentration. His whole body seemed to move with the character. In a different situation, Kageyama would have happily sat back and watched Shouyou.

Shouyou had slowly slipped down onto the floor, squeals erupting from the floor as he either won or made mistakes. Generally the latter. Kageyama glanced towards Kenma who seemed to sense his sharp gaze and reluctantly look away from the game to meet Kageyama’s gaze. Kenma gave him a little smile, more like the corners of his lips twitched up.

“Kuroo’s niece’s like this game.” Kenma explained, shrugging. Kageyama knew them, twins and troublesome twins too.

“So um…about Shouyou…” Kageyama trailed off, not exactly sure what he wanted to tell Kenma. Whether it was to explain or demand, he couldn’t quite make up his mind. Perhaps it was because of the calming atmosphere that Kenma gave that prevented him from losing his head.

“I’m not going to tell anyone.” Kenma said and Kageyama visibly relaxed.

“I-I was going to take him back,” Kageyama stressed, feeling somehow put on the spot. As if he’s done something bad, “but things got in the way and people and ugh!” Kageyama groaned loudly, covering his face with his hands as he threw himself back. “And now I’ve lost my job and I really don’t know what to do.”

He felt something lightly knock his knee and a tiny prowp. Parting his fingers, Kageyama looked down to see Shouyou looking up at him, seeming to pause from his game to look at Kageyama in concern. Unable to resist a small smile, Kageyama ruffled Shouyou’s hair and shook his head lightly.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m just having an internal crisis. Just play your game, dumbass.”

Not needing to be told twice, Shouyou whipped his body around to continue.

“Sorry…about the job again.” Kenma mumbled and Kageyama grunted. “And if it helps, I don’t think Shouyou wants to leave this place. Not yet anyway.”

“You think?”

“This wouldn’t have been the first time you left him alone right?” Kenma asked and Kageyama shook his head. “He’s had plenty of times to escape. And if it was that bad, he wouldn’t be meeting you at the door.”

Looking away, Kageyama lifted one hand to cover his mouth. “You think so?”

Kenma hummed in agreement, kicking his feet a little before he settled more comfortably into the couch. “Shouyou’s a fast learner. We don’t know anything about his world, so we can’t really assume anything. But…he seems happy here and he seems to want to stay with you.”

“Right.” Kageyama stiffly nodded, fisting his hands as he glanced to Shouyou before returning his gaze back to the TV. “Um…didn’t you have work today?”

“I did, but I called in sick. I’ll make it up during the weekend.” Kenma sighed.

“Well, thanks for looking after Shouyou. By the way, how did that go?”

Pursing his lips, Kenma seemed to stiffen. “It was…good. But it’s like taking care of a giant toddler. Not that I mind.” Kenma quickly amended, fishing his pocket for his phone. “I…liked it.”

“And…were there any…um accidents?” He questioned hesitantly and Kenma looked at him in concern for a second before his face darkened.

He blinked his cat like eyes, his face becoming expressionless. “I rather we never speak of the matter Kageyama-san.”

Kageyama couldn’t help but cringe at the tone and the use of the honorific. He cleared his throat and nodded his head quickly, shifting uncomfortably. “Um sorry, you’re right. But thanks again, for looking after Shouyou. I can give you some-”

“I don’t want your money; it was my choice to look after him. And I liked it. And you need the money more than me anyway.” Kenma paused, relaxing a little as he lifted one foot to pike Shouyou in the side who squealed loudly. Batting his foot away with one hand but it wasn’t enough to earn Shouyou’s full attention. “Does anyone else know about Shouyou?”

“No…you’re the only one that knows.” Kageyama sighed. “I found him on Friday night, caught in someone’s net. He was hurt too, must have got caught in the rocks. I thought it was some prank, some trick. It would be a lot easier if it was.”

“I thought the same too. And I was even more shocked his tail disappeared, almost like magic.” Kenma mused. “You’re going to find a job right?”

“I need to.” One hand went into his pocket where the note was.

“You should think about telling someone else.”

Kageyama turned to glare at him sharply. “What?” He snapped but Kenma didn’t even flinch.

“I could help you babysit him during the weekends; Kuroo doesn’t really need me to work at the shop anymore now that he’s employed Bokuto. But during the weekday I’ve got to go to work. And whatever job you take, you’re going to have to spend hours away from Shouyou, even if you are only working part time.”

Eyebrows knitting together, Kageyama gritted his teeth. That really was a problem. Not much of a problem for two weeks but was two weeks all he’s going to need to find a new job. And who would he tell anyway? Everyone he knows already he has a job and it’s not like he can take him to some day-care.

“You trust Sugawara.” Kenma suggested.

“Sugawara is a doctor who’s got lots of patients. He won’t have time looking after Shouyou. And even if that’s the case, Shouyou’s never been out in public before. He doesn’t really understand what we’re saying and all I can imagine are things that could go terribly wrong.” He groaned, covering his face with his hands again. “I mean, the best choice is Ennoshita because he works at a pet shop and he works with fish. Shouyou’s part fish. But how do I break it to someone without them thinking I’m crazy?”

“Well, I always find it easier to show people.” Kenma offered but Kageyama only sighed heavily. “You have two weeks right? During that time, you could always get Shouyou used to being in public.” Before Kageyama could protest, Kenma held up his hand. “Shouyou doesn’t understand a lot of what we’re saying but he does understand quite a bit. At least enough to know that no means no and stop means stop. Everyone we know is pretty trustworthy too and we can always fabricate a truth to explain his bizarre behaviour.”

“You make it sound like I should tell everyone that mermaids exist.” Kageyama groaned, generally with supernatural beings, don’t they threaten to kill the person if they spill their secret?

“I’m not saying _that_.” Kenma said, sounding slightly irritated. “But what I am saying is that you need help and your friends are there for you. If you say no one can know, there won’t just randomly be pictures of Shouyou on the internet one day.”

“I…I’m not sure.” Kageyama mumbled.

What Kenma said sounded logical. But at the same time, it just sounded unbelievable. Kageyama wanted to protect Shouyou. And telling all his friends didn’t exactly seem the best method of protection.

“Hmm well…you have two weeks to decide. I won’t tell anyone, unless you say to. But other than that, I think you should seriously consider taking Shouyou outside.”

“Are you sure you looking out for Shouyou?”

“I have the best intentions.”

“That’s what my mother always says before she dresses me in ridiculous outfits.”

Kenma sighed, shaking his head lightly. “You need to buy Shouyou some clothes. Because he’s wearing the smallest clothes you have that I’m not even going to begin to question.” He held up one finger at this and wore an expression that looked so offended that Kageyama might have laughed if he wasn’t so shocked. “So I’ve given him some of my clothes for the time being.”

“Um…thanks.”

“So I think tomorrow _you_ need to take him out shopping.”

Kageyama lips trembled, glaring darkly as he tried to think up an argument. His shoulders sagged when he found none and sighed in defeat. “Okay but you have to come with me. Because I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Kageyama groaned and Kenma couldn’t help but chuckle dryly at this.

“I’ll come but I’m working from two to eight so it would have to be early in the morning.” Turning on his phone again, Kenma sighed at the time. “And it’s getting late, Kuroo’s going to wonder where I am.”

“Right, do you want your console back?” Kageyama asked, watching Kenma straighten.

Kenma looked from the TV to Shouyou to Kageyama again and shrugged. “Keep it for now. I know from experience that if I were to take it now, it will not end well. My suggestion is the first moment he gets distracted, turn it off.”

Slightly confused, Kageyama nodded and tucked that information away. As Kenma waved to Shouyou, he walked to the door. He paused, turned back and cleared his throat. “Shouyou, goodbye.” He awkwardly waved at the small ginger who finally looked away from his game.

He quickly shot up like a rocket, surprising Kageyama who jumped at his reaction. He quickly bounded to Kenma and threw himself onto the poor boy in a little bundle of squeaks and protests. _I guess this is the moment Kenma was talking about_ , Kageyama thought turning off the TV while Shouyou was still distracted by a departing Kenma.

Seeing that Shouyou wasn’t going to let up, Kageyama stood and walked towards the small bundle of joy. He picked Hinata up from his armpits, stilling the boy in the process as he held him there.

“See you tomorrow…and thanks again for today.”

Kenma smiled softly, it was a nice smile. “No problem and bye.” Kenma closed the door behind him and Shouyou whined.

“Bye bye Kenma.” He sang.

There was a moment of silence before Shouyou craned his neck to stare at Kageyama. “Shouyou play.”

“No, it’s late.”

“Shouyou play!” Shouyou whined, starting to kick his feet as Kageyama continued to hold him up and head towards their bedroom. As they walked past, Shouyou began to squirm and reach out towards the console. “Plaaaay!” He whined before sniffing loudly.

“No, it’s time for bed.”

“Ngh!” Shouyou whined, stiffening in Kageyama’s hold.

When they got to Kageyama’s bedroom and Kageyama had placed him down, Shouyou threw himself face first onto the bed. Kageyama watched this mildly amused as he closed the door and gathered his clothes. Shouyou still hadn’t lifted himself even after Kageyama had dressed himself in his pyjamas which consisted of black boxer shorts and old t-shirt.

“I guess someone had too much fun today.” Kageyama mused and Shouyou only whined again.

With a sigh, he pulled back his blankets and poked Shouyou in the side. The orange haired boy looked up and silently crawled into the open space. Allowing Kageyama to turn off the lights and crawl to his side of the bed. The moment Kageyama had slipped between his blankets, he felt Shouyou borrow into him, his tiny hand grabbing onto his and squeezing once.

Kageyama lifted up his hand were Shouyou held his. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could vaguely make out Shouyou’s tiny hands that reminded him of a child. He had done this last night too, and had stubbornly insisted on it. Even in the morning, Kageyama would wake to Shouyou holding onto his hand. Kageyama wondered briefly if other mermen did the same thing.

With a soft sigh, Kageyama rolled his head to the side as Shouyou nestled into his neck. “What should I do, Shouyou?” Kageyama murmured, not really expecting a response.

“Stay…with Shouyou.” Was the mumbled response, heavy with sleep.

“Hn, I might just do that.” Kageyama yawned. “Goodnight Shouyou.”


	5. Chapter Five:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late chapter, I was so angry with this chapter with it not turning out how I like until I decided to give up on Kageyama (especially after the latest chapter, like I am so mad and sad right now) and the fic. I just decided to spew it all out and not look back so any grammar, mistakes and confusion please ignore ಥ_ಥ But like I said, I don't have any plans on giving up on this fic, it's just going to take a while to get there :P But thanks so much for all your support, all the kudos and comments because that really helped, not lying here. Well anyway, on with the story~!

Sniffing the air lightly, Shouyou held onto the wooden opening. The scents he smelled were diluted, strange and new. From within the safety of Kageyama’s den, he stayed still. For all the time he had spent with the strange two leg, he had never once stepped outside of the den. He had seen glimpse of it, sometimes when Kageyama had left him alone.

It was a strange world. Titan had no say in this world for he would not make such strange rock and wood formation nor would he create a current that couldn’t be ridden on. And the creatures that lived in it were nothing like he had ever seen. Some were bounded to the earth, but there were other things that could fly the invisible waves above.

But not all of it was alien. For some of the things that Kageyama had collected were things he had seen on the sea bed. Some of the tools were not so different from his own that he would craft, even if he would never have believed it. Like that tiny three pronged spear that Kageyama used to pick up his food with instead of using his hands.

“ _Shouyou._ ”

At the call of his name, though the pronunciation was slightly odd, he looked towards Kageyama. He was looking scary again (not an expression that the two legged creatures wore as Kenma never looked quite as terrifying), his eyes the colour of the stormy sea when Titan raged. His arms were cross over his chest and one of his fins were oddly twitching.

Kageyama began to speak, Shouyou only really understanding ‘come’. That could only mean one thing and explained why he was agitated and gruff this morning. Kageyama had always urged him to stay in his den, and Shouyou had been content with that for numerous reasons. Though he was curious and restless by nature, his new tail was painful. Even standing still like he was now was an annoying itch. He wanted to collapse on his fins and simply rest. But their world or his, a sign of weakness would not go amiss by any predators.

There was a softer murmur of those strange words and Shouyou’s eyes moved to the other two legged creature that stood near Kageyama. Though oddly dressed and wearing some odd jellyfish on top of his head, Kenma was talking to Kageyama. Instantly Kageyama began to relax, the angry scowl on his face melting away though he still looked slightly agitated. Shouyou felt something sharp in his chest, like being bitten by those mean eels that hide in the rocks.

Feeling a boost in confidence, Shouyou took a step forward. He stumbled a little, the bottom of his fins being constricted by some odd material Kageyama had said would ‘help’ called ‘shoes’. They only frustrated Shouyou, causing him more pain than necessary. He had attempted to take them off, but all his attempts had been thwarted by Kageyama and the angrier Kageyama got. Steadying himself, he quickly looked around feeling a little abash by his misstep. Seeing nothing threatening or that his companions had not appeared frightened by anything (questionable if they could anyway), he steadily made his way towards the pair.

His fins slipped at the last minute and began to fall forwards. But before he could hit the harsh rock beneath him, Kageyama caught him easily in his arms. He felt his body being lifted, an odd experience that he had grown accustomed too. His fins were flat on the floor again, though Shouyou still kept a tight grip onto Kageyama’s strong arms. Shyly, Shouyou glanced up at him through his hair that had fallen in front of his face to see Kageyama staring at him in worry.

With a sheepish whistle, Shouyou glanced down towards his fins. “ _Fins_.”

Kageyama sighed heavily, looking sadder than worried. He spoke in a hushed tone, crouching down and touching his fins. Wincing slightly, Shouyou could not make out what he said. He understood ‘sorry’ but all the words were mangled together with no meanings. Grinding his teeth together in frustration, he cursed his inability to understand. The language they spoke here was harsh, combining sounds together that rolled of his tongue unfamiliarly.

Standing up, Kageyama looked towards Kenma, speaking to him. Asking a question, Shouyou recognised from the sound of his tone. He didn’t understand what they were discussing. Was it to leave him behind? Was he too much of a burden? Whatever the question was, Kenma had shaken his head. He understood that, a shake of a head from side to side meant ‘no’ as a refusal. Did that mean Kenma had more authority than Kageyama?

Studying the other two leg, he looked a lot weaker than Kageyama. Though taller than himself, he did not reach far on Kageyama and seemed a lot scrawnier. Ina duel, Kageyama would be the most likely winner. But Daichi was a powerful mer, a warrior that could defend the pod from all sorts of dangers and he still took advise from other people if it meant it could help keep the safety of the pod. Perhaps it was similar to that?

Looking as if he had lost some important battle and had resigned to his fate, Kageyama offered his clawed fin. Eagerly, Shouyou took it. It was much better to swim in this position when holding on to Kageyama. He could take more weight of his tail fins this way. Firmly holding onto Kageyama, the taller of the three led the way with Kenma falling at the back of the pod. At first, Shouyou’s steps were clumsy, leaning heavily onto Kageyama as he struggled to move in the way Kageyama did. He then straightened his fins, in a more similar fashion to Kageyama perhaps not as graceful. Shouyou whistled in pride, cooing up at Kageyama who had that tiny smile on his face.

“I can swim just like you.” Shouyou chattered, daring himself to move off of Kageyama although he never let go. “I’m the fastest swimmer you know, even though most of my kin don’t believe it. They think because my fins are frail that I won’t be able to get to the high speeds like _ghoosh_ and _gwaaa_.” He shot his clawed fin out in a fast motion to demonstrate. He waited for Kageyama to react, hearing that odd language followed by a slight frown and a tiny smile. “It’s okay if you don’t understand.” Though it made it less entertaining. “I don’t understand a lot of what you do. Like storing your food away in the cold box. We never keep any of what we hunt, even if we don’t eat everything because there’s always something that will eat it.”

Shouyou paused, stopping both of them when he caught sight of something that made his heart sing. In front of him was the sea, his home. Without even thinking, he stepped towards, crooning a call for someone to answer. As the waves crashed onto the sandy shore, the itch in his legs became more apparent though it didn’t compare the ache in his heart.

He missed his family, his friends. How Daichi could make everything alright with a wave of his tail or how Tanaka would show him all the cool things he had found or Noya would show him new tricks. Asashi teaching him how to hunt, or Kiyoko teaching him to braid or collecting shells for Yachi that she would hide in places but then forget where they were and cry.

“ _Shouyou_.” Glancing up at Kageyama in surprise, Shouyou blinked wildly, feeling something begin to ooze from his eyes. He quickly rubbed them, wondering briefly if he was going to die. “ _Home?”_ Kageyama pointed in the direction to the ocean and yes, it was home.

“ _Home_ my home, the ocean. But my pod won’t be there. They’ll have moved on and I’m scared. I’m scared of being alone again. I don’t want to be alone again. _Kageyama home_.” He struggled to find the words to explain, and the pained expression on Kageyama’s face didn’t help. “Maybe you don’t want to be alone either, _Shouyou_ _with Kageyama_. I don’t know what to do. I want to go home, but I don’t want to be alone. _Kageyama_ is scary but _Kageyama_ _nice_.”

Kageyama nodded his head, though he still seemed troubled he didn’t seem sad anymore. Maybe Kageyama didn’t want him and he was a burden? Shouyou was a burden, no maybe. He didn’t hunt, Kageyama was the one doing all the work. Kageyama cared for him, made sure he was feeling okay and offered him interesting things to play with. Kageyama acted as if he was a-

Shouyou screeched, surprising Kageyama (Kenma hardly reacted, but Shouyou wasn’t too concerned with this. “No, no, no can’t think like that. Not good, there’s no way. I’m not useful, burden and-” He glanced towards Kageyama, seeing him watching him in confused silence as he felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. “When warmer waters come, I will leave. The pod will be back, I know.”

Drifting off into silence, Shouyou began to study his surroundings. It was very green, though a particular patch was as dark as the night with odd lights through the middle. It made him wary and grateful that Kageyama was the one between him…and that place. He was going to comment on it when something large came by swimming on top of it.

Squeaking, his grip tightened on Kageyama as he pulled him. “What the Titan was that?”

Kageyama stumbled before steady them both. He growled, barking sharply at Shouyou and he winced. It was like watching that other world on that rock and he had gotten frightened when that sharp tooth Kageyama called ‘shark’ had appeared out of nowhere. He had overreacted again.

“ _Sorry_.” He said in Kageyama’s tongue, feeling guilty as they continued their walk. Kageyama wasn’t concerned about it, so it wasn’t a _real_ threat. “You don’t seem to worry about anything, _Kageyama_. That’s what worries me.”

That wasn’t the only worrying thing to encounter though. Ignoring the black water that seemed to travel everywhere they went like a large eel, it wasn’t too long before they came across another two leg.

Shouyou instantly tensed, stopping his quiet chatter as he quickly glanced up at Kageyama to see how he would react. Kageyama was the same, stiff in his body and watching the other two leg with a piercing stare. Except he nodded his head and muttered something to the other creature which responded back in a similar sound. Relaxing, Shouyou glanced backwards to the other creature. He didn’t look like a threat, he seemed a lot older than Kageyama. But when he turned to face the front again, more of them appeared. This time a pair, wearing strange objects and hair coloured oddly like Kenma’s.

He squeaked in fright, eyes shooting up at Kageyama. Kageyama wasn’t reacting. He simply tightened his grip on Shouyou, steadying them both as they walked past. Shouyou wondered briefly if they were kin, but wouldn’t Kageyama have stopped them and introduced them? Were they all part of different pods? Was it normal and safe to go off on your own? He had never seen anyone with Kageyama other than Kenma, and he had only met Kenma the day before. Maybe two legs were solitary, not needing the protection of others?

Shaking his head, Shouyou decided to stop thinking about unnecessary things. Though he was curious as to where Kageyama was leading him. Why would he take him from the den? Is it to go hunting? Is it to prove his worth? Would he have to go through some trial before Kageyama would accept him? Why now?

Shouyou was brought out of his thoughts as Kageyama squeezed his clawed fin, with his thumb he rubbed gentle circles in a soothing motion. For whatever reason, it eased Shouyou’s worries. Only for a moment, because as they rounded the corner, they came across even large structures and even more two legs.

Not enough to consider a crowd, being in a Great Hunt when all sorts of predators come together to hunt the swarm of fish is crowded. With each kind delivering their own strategies and tactics to get food, it amazes Shouyou how they don’t collide with one another. But the scene in front of him reminded him of that. Not as exciting as diving between giant creatures and capturing food, but everyone congregated together is familiar in its own way.

There were many things to see, lots of things on display and the smells were a full frontal blow. He could smell all sorts of delicious food, mingled with particular smells that made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. Overall, it was overwhelming and he could feel his head start to spin and the blood rush in a way that made his stomach churn.

Shouyou could hear Kageyama talking to him and he allowed himself to be dragged over. Kageyama led him to an oddly lit cave, filled with those strange things that Kageyama liked to dress them both in. He blinked a lot, looking wildly about the place. There weren’t many two legs around, only couple who seemed to be picking it up and examining the articles closely, mostly putting them back. Kageyama led him around before stopping at one place. At first, Shouyou wasn’t sure what Kageyama wanted him to do. He spoke but Shouyou didn’t understand what he was saying and there was a lot of gestures towards the ‘clothes’.

With a tilt at his head, he grabbed the closest thing towards him. It seemed to be the right thing to do because Kageyama got all excited, his face lit up and he was nodding his head erratically urging him one. Hesitantly he glanced towards Kenma who was watching him silently. When he noticed him staring, Kenma gestured towards the clothing as well with his soft tone.

It wasn’t until Kageyama pulled out one of the clothes and pressed it against his body that Shouyou understood. Or believed he understood. Was he supposed to pick something he could wear? Was this pod initiation?

Looking back to the clothes, he began to look at them. Nothing really appealed to him, not truly. He had seen some of his kin wear kelp and what he has hear Daichi mutter as two leg trash, but he wasn’t used to it. ‘Clothes’ seemed to be a big deal to Kageyama though but then again, two legs had strange bodies especially the thing between his legs. Fleshy too, nothing protective about their skin either.

With a hum, he glanced towards Kageyama who had walked over to Kenma. The pair was quietly talking before Kageyama started walking away. With a startled squeak, Shouyou attempted to follow. Tripping over his fins and stumbling into Kenma who managed to stop them both from falling. With his heart beating fast, Shouyou glanced towards Kageyama who had stopped and returned, both of them cooing to him.

“ _Shouyou stay. Stay with Kenma_.” Kageyama ordered and after a moment of silence, Shouyou nodded his headed, glancing towards Kenma.

“ _Shouyou stay_.” Kageyama seemed oddly proud at his response, before he said his parting words and left them.

It took a while for Shouyou to move, taking an encouraging nudge from Kenma. With a sigh, Shouyou returned, moving slowly through the clothes before stopping at a particular rack. The clothes there were long and a different type of texture from the one he was used to; it was nice to touch. They seemed more practical too, even if he was in original form.

With an excited squeak, Shouyou gestured for Kenma to come over. Kenma seemed surprised by his choice though and for a moment, Shouyou worried if he had done something wrong. But instead, Kenma pulled out one of the clothing and held it against his body. He did it twice before he seemed happy, heading into another direction with a gesture for Shouyou to follow.

Curious he was led to an area and was gently push into a small gap where a strange sheet could cover the exit. It would have made a nice little hidey hole. Kenma entered with him, closing the sheet behind him before tugging on his clothing. Warily, Shouyou took of his clothes, taking the annoying shoes off first. Kenma than helped him put on the strange clothing, pulling it over his head and helping his front thins through the large holes. He then spun him around to tighten it, but it wasn’t uncomfortable and he liked the flow of it.

Turning back around, he faced Kenma who smiled kindly. “ _Dress_.” He said, pointing towards the clothing.

Grabbing hold of the front material, Shouyou blinked as he processed this. “ _Dr…dress?_ ” With a confirmed nod, Shouyou grinned widely.

He liked dress, maybe he could keep them even when he returned home?

“ _Shouyou?_ ” Chirping, Shouyou recognised that voice.

“ _Kageyama,_ I have something to show you. I like it, _Kenma_ calls it a _dress_. It’s nice, I don’t know why you don’t wear any. They seem a lot more comfortable.” Stumbling out, Shouyou cooed at the sight of Kageyama, tripping over at the last minute. “It’s really nice isn’t-Are you okay, _Kageyama_? You’re very red, are you sick?”

Kageyama’s face had gone an odd shade of red and he kept Shouyou apart from him at a fin’s length with his clawed fin covering his mouth. He was talking but Shouyou couldn’t understand the muffle of words. “Do you like it? Is it not okay?” He looked down at himself. Did Kageyama hate this sort of clothing?

Moving his clawed fin, Kageyama nodded his head. “ _Fine_... _look good_.” Shouyou’s smile brightened, not being able to keep the song between his lips at bay. Clearing his throat, Kageyama looked away, taking his clawed fin in his as he pulled him away. He gestured to the other clothing, giving him a questioning look and incoherent words but Shouyou shook his head. Kageyama opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he was interrupted by someone else calling his name.

“Kageyama?”

They both turned to face a stranger, shock clear on Kageyama’s face as well as fear as his grip tightened on Shouyou. Shouyou cooed questioningly, being pushed behind Kageyama slightly before his eyes darted to the other person.

It was another merkin, taller than Shouyou but much taller than Kageyama.


End file.
